Soul Survivors
by Incubabe
Summary: *FINAL 2 CHAPTERS UP* After a fatal attack on Fred, Gunn forces Angel into a decision that will change everything... (My first Angel fic!) *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Cordelia watched the gang run through the double doors and out of the hotel, armed to the teeth and ready to slay the evil slime demon she had just seen in a vision. She was glad that Angel had given her the night off; she could sort out the office paperwork rather than join the team in the fight. Plus the slime demon couldn't ruin her new jeans. She sat back in her office chair and sighed loudly, the visions were still giving her trouble. Her head was throbbing and the smell of slime was still lingering, nobody could ever know how stressful her job was. Yes, Cordelia Chase was one stressed out girl.

She spun her chair around and lifted her legs up, giggling as her hair whipped around her face until she was stopped by a vision. Her immediate thought was confusion; she had never had two visions in one night. She stopped the chair and closed her eyes; it was Fred. She frowned with confusion again, there was nothing happening in her vision, it was just images of Fred. The pain suddenly subsided and Cordelia came face to face with the world again. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with the images she had just received, the Powers That Be had told her nothing about what was happening. It was just an image of Fred; no action.

"Thank you, Doyle," she whispered as she grabbed the phone and tapped in Angel's mobile phone number but there was no answer so she dialled Wesley's pager number. She placed her head on the office desk and closed her eyes, praying that nothing bad had happened.

Wesley crashed through the front door of the hotel waking Cordelia; she lifted her head immediately at the noise as Wesley ordered her to grab the first aid box. She got on her knees and rummaged about under the front desk for the green first aid kit; she finally found it and stood up just in time to see Angel rush through the doors with Fred in his arms. She was speechless as Angel laid her out on the circular sofa in the middle of the room, she ran over and handed the green box to Angel who ripped the lid off and began ripping gauze and bandages to soak up the blood. Cordelia could see a large gash in Fred's side that was bleeding heavily; there was also a deep slice across her stomach that was oozing blood.

" Oh God," she said, feeling the hot tears spring to her eyes as she watched Angel and Wesley soak up the blood as Gunn stalked about the room, waiting for anything to happen. "Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"

"It was too far, she would've died in the car," said Angel, his voice betraying his cool exterior, Cordelia could hear his fear and anger.

"As opposed to the lobby?" she shouted, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"She ain't gonna die!" shouted Gunn, walking over to where Angel knelt before her, still attempting to stop the profuse blood flow.

"Gunn, we're doing all we can but she's lost a lot of blood. There is a chance she might not make it," said Wesley, struggling to keep his voice calm and level. His own feelings for Fred were surging to the surface but she needed him to be calm and help her rather than mourn her before she had even died.

"I'm not accepting that. No way, she won't die," shouted Gunn, taking a step toward Wesley. Angel stood up placing himself between them both; Cordelia grabbed a handful of bloody bandages and held them to Fred's side. She didn't even wince with pain, she wasn't even conscious.

"Gunn, calm down. We're doing the best we can but this isn't helping," said Angel, his own voice wavering. His mind kept wandering to how helpless he felt as Doyle died, he was feeling that same helplessness now and he couldn't admit to himself what that meant for Fred.

"Oh God, Angel," said Cordelia, her voice thick with grief and tears. The blood flow was starting to stop but it had grown dark and thick, Cordelia knew that was not a good thing.

"Leave her, Cordy. We can't help her now," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder as she stood up. He knelt down beside Fred's body and checked her pulse, it was weak and slowing, there was nothing they could do. He was about to stand when he heard Cordelia gasp and felt something hard and sharp in his back.

He stood up and turned around slowly, Gunn stood before him with a stake aimed over his heart. Cordelia moved to run forward and stop him but Wesley held her back, he could see that Gunn was serious. Grief and fear had taken over and he was not thinking straight.

"You can make her live. You can turn her then Wes can do some magic or whatever and make her okay. She'll be okay,"

"She wouldn't be alive, Gunn. She'd still be dead and you know she wouldn't be Fred, you know that she'd be gone. You're not thinking straight right now, just calm down," soothed Angel.

"No way, man. You do it. Do it now, I'm not afraid to stake you. You're still a vampire, I'll kill you," shouted Gunn, Cordelia tried again to stop him but Wesley still held on to her.

"Then stake me. I won't do this," said Angel. Gunn loosened his grip on the stake slightly and looked nervously around, Wesley thought he might give up now but he suddenly spun around and grabbed Cordelia's arm. Twisting her until her back was to him and he held the stake at her throat, she didn't struggle. She'd been a hostage too many times to know that rule.

"Let her go," said Wesley, stepping forward.

"No," said Gunn. He turned to Angel. "You rescued that scum from Hell for her; you'll change Fred for her. I'll kill her, man,"

Angel took a step forward but Gunn put more pressure on the stake, Cordelia cried out as it pierced her skin and a tiny rivulet of blood ran down her throat, staining her white blouse. He stepped back and looked at Wesley, neither of them knew what to do but both knew that Gunn was so grief stricken that he might actually hurt her. Angel swallowed deeply and glared angrily at Gunn as he dropped to his knees once more and picked up Fred's body, she was barely alive but it was just enough. His vampire face came just as naturally as any reflex would and he shot Wesley a look of absolute pain as he bit into Fred's throat.

"God help us," whispered Wesley as Angel released her body and bit his own forearm, dripping the blood into her mouth and hoping that she could still swallow.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Fred's swallow reflex kicked in and a mouthful of Angel's blood went down. Gunn let go of Cordelia and she rushed to Wesley's side, he placed a protective arm around her as they moved away from Gunn and Fred. Fred moved her arms a little before she lay still. Angel stood staring at Gunn, his eyes blazing.

"Take her and get out," he hissed before turning and walking up the staircase to his bedroom.

"You'll know what you've done when she awakens and you'll have to kill her," said Wesley. Gunn picked up Fred's limp body and walked towards the door, he turned to say something but Wesley and Cordelia walked away. He turned back and walked out of the double doors, carrying the dead body of his girlfriend.

"I can't believe this has happened. I had a vision of her," sniffed Cordelia, wiping her neck with a clean bandage.

"Of Fred? Why didn't you stop her from coming with us?"

"Not of her being killed, just of her. Nothing happened; it was just images of her face. I didn't understand what it meant. How could this happen? Why didn't the Powers tell me what would happen?"

"I don't know but you mustn't blame yourself. You weren't to know what would happen to her,"

"Poor Angel. I can't believe he did it; he should have just let Gunn kill me. He shouldn't have done it,"

"I know. We'll have to watch him over the next few days. The taste of human blood will not have brought back happy memories; he may retreat into himself. The death of Fred was enough to mourn but to know what he did to her afterwards will be a worse burden to bear," said Wesley as he sat down and looked up at the staircase where Angel had just disappeared.

"I can't believe she's gone," said Cordelia, tears streaming down her face as she failed to fight them back.

"That's just it. She hasn't gone and if Gunn fails to kill her then who's to say she won't come looking for her sire?"

"This is probably the worst thing that could have happened, isn't it?" sighed Cordelia.

"I don't know. Nobody can know until tomorrow night when Fred wakes up,"

"God, I feel sick. Wesley, what if Angel enjoyed it? I mean, what if he ran off because he enjoyed it and he's up there right now being all dark and evil again?"

"The taste of human blood wouldn't be enough to awaken Angelus or to cast aside Angel's soul,"

"No, but Angel's still a vampire. I mean; he has needs and stuff. I'm just thinking that maybe it was worth the pain, maybe the thought of eating people again is worth the guilt?"

"Cordelia, there's just no way. I suggest we stop thinking about it and focus on our next case. We can mourn Fred in our own way, there's no use bringing it into the office," said Wesley, using his authoritative voice.

"Shut up, Wesley. I've seen you cry before, it's not like it's anything new!" smiled Cordelia, Wesley looked at her and smiled too. Her face was red and damp from her tears but her eyes shone radiantly and her smile represented the fact that things would get better. Angel and Cordelia had made it through Doyle's death; if they could do that then maybe they could all get through this too.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Wesley's eyes suddenly snapped open and he lifted his head from the desk; pieces of loose paper sticking to his face. He pulled them off and ran his hands through his hair before looking at his watch. It was barely eight o'clock in the morning; he had obviously fallen asleep at the office again; he hadn't been home since Fred had died, the mere thought of it was too much to bear. He stood up and looked about for Cordelia but she was nowhere to be seen, assuming she had gone home he walked into reception to make a cup of tea. He flicked the switch on the machine and glanced across the counter to the circular sofa; Cordelia was knelt in front of it with a bucket of soapy, frothy water at her side.

"Cordelia, what are you doing?" he asked, frowning as he walked around the counter to join her.

"I'm cleaning," she said, scrubbing anxiously at the bloodstains on the sofa and the floor. "He hasn't even been downstairs since it happened and I don't want his first sight to be blood, it's tempting fate or something,"

"I really don't think the sight of blood will make Angel forget that he's a fighter for the forces of good,"

"Maybe, but it'll make me feel a damn sight better," she snapped, continually scrubbing at the sofa. Wesley could tell that she had been scrubbing for hours, as nearly all of Fred's blood was completely gone. All that remained were light stains on the sofa fabric that could easily have been coffee but Cordelia wasn't letting it lie, it had to go.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" asked Wesley, walking back to the automatic machine behind reception. Cordelia laughed softly and nodded, dropping the sponge into the bucket and standing up, wiping her wet hands down on her already filthy old t-shirt.

"I wonder where Gunn is," she sighed as she sipped at her drink. Wesley eyed her suspiciously, "I mean, I wonder if he had to kill her. Maybe she killed him," She was staring into her mug as she spoke, her voice faraway and light.

"Cordelia, it's out of our hands now. You can't keep thinking about Fred, if she comes looking for Angel then she comes looking for Angel. We can't spend our lives waiting for either of them to come walking through that door," said Wesley.

As if someone was deliberately out to mock Wesley, the double doors swung open and Gunn skulked into the room. He couldn't even look at Cordelia but walked across to the reception desk, Cordelia silently stood and walked around the desk to her chair. She had nothing to say to him, she didn't want to hear anything he had to say to them.

"She's gone. I couldn't do it, Wes. I'm sorry, man, I didn't know where else to come," he said, looking up at Wesley. All Wesley could see was the immense pain that Gunn was desperately trying to hide behind his tough exterior and despite the tremendous feeling of pity Wesley was feeling, Gunn had turned his back on everyone in the hotel and he couldn't just walk back in.

"I'm sorry, Gunn. There's nothing for you here, I think you should leave," he said, Cordelia's eyes widened as Wesley asked Gunn to go. She was convinced that he would ask him some questions rather than just show him the door. Gunn had no reply, he had no smart comeback, he had betrayed everybody, he had hurt Cordelia and he had hurt Angel in the worst possible way. He turned around and started walking towards the double doors, Cordelia ran out into the lobby.

"Gunn, what's she like?" she shouted. Gunn turned around to face her.

"She's tough, real tough. Strongest vamp I've ever come up against, I don't know how but she's an amazing fighter and she's smart as hell," he said.

"This is all your fault," said Cordelia and turned around, Gunn carried on walking out of the door.

"If what Gunn says is true then Fred is going to be a dangerous opponent," said Wesley, Cordelia nodded solemnly.

"I just don't understand how he could do that to us. To Angel," sighed Cordelia.

"Grief does strange things to people. He made a choice to make Angel the bad guy to make it easier on himself. We can't imagine what Gunn is going through at this moment, knowing that the woman he loves is a vampire and that it was his fault. It must be especially hard after having to kill his sister,"

"Yeah but you would think that would make him less anxious to have Fred turned into a blood-sucking fiend," said Cordelia.

"He didn't know what he was doing. He was just reacting, he wasn't thinking about anything," said Angel. Cordelia spun around to face him; she hadn't even heard his footsteps on the staircase. He stood before them on the other side of the reception desk, his face was paler than usual and his eyes looked red and sore as if he hadn't slept in days. Wesley was silent, intent on studying Angel's every motion and expression.

"Angel," sighed Cordelia. "I'm so glad you decided to come downstairs, I've been so worried about you. Do you want a drink? We've still got blood in the fridge, it's only a few days old,"

"I'm good, thanks," smiled Angel. "Have we had any cases? Anything going on in the real world?"

"Nothing. We haven't had any calls or drop-ins, it's like all the evil went on holiday," smiled Cordelia. Angel smiled weakly; Wesley couldn't help but be pleased that he was trying to get back into normality. The events of the previous week has obviously taken its toll, Angel was looking drawn and gaunt. He hadn't eaten in a week and he clearly hadn't slept either.

"Maybe you should have something, Angel. You look as though you could use it," offered Wesley. Angel shook his head, shooting Wesley a look of determination.

"So, what did Gunn have to say for himself?" he asked. Wesley looked across at Cordelia who sighed quietly and was obviously reluctant to say anything.

"He…er…he just stopped by to inform us that Fred is on the run. He couldn't kill her when she turned so she took off. Apparently she was really tough or something, really good fighter," mumbled Cordelia.

"Sometimes the person's character changes completely so even though Fred was always the brains here, she might be the brawn out there now," explained Angel. "Becoming a vampire changes people in different ways and that's probably what's happened to her,"

"Right," whispered Cordelia, she still couldn't believe the topic of conversation. It was still hard enough to accept that Fred wasn't going to come walking down the staircase in the mornings and that she wasn't going to be in Wesley's office when Cordelia brought him more paperwork. And as much as Gunn had hurt them, they hadn't just lost Fred that night, they had lost him too so the blow was doubled and it was still painful.

"Maybe we should think about whether she would come back here?" said Wesley, Cordelia and Angel both looked at him. "Well, she knows that we work for good and she might feel differently about that now. Plus the fact that she has a link with Angel now,"

"Wesley," hissed Cordelia.

"No, Cordy. He's right; I am Fred's sire so it's certainly likely that she might come back. If not to try and convert me to her cause then to try and kill me,"

"Do you really think that Fred would kill you? I mean, she's done so much for people. It can't all be gone, she can't be completely evil," sniffed Cordelia. Angel put his arms out and Cordelia fell into them, crying freely now. Wesley stood watching them and felt just as devastated as Cordelia but the truth was that Fred had no humanity left. She had been their friend and companion and now she was an evil demon and there was nothing they could do but go where Gunn had failed and kill her.

Cordelia finally stopped crying and sat down at her desk, occasionally sniffing but trying to be strong. Wesley and Angel had huddled together and started talking quietly and she knew that it was to make sure she didn't hear anything that would upset her again. She strengthened her resolve and stood up, walking over to join them.

"Cordy, I'm going to go and talk to some people. Just check if Fred has been checking out the usual haunts, demon bars, Caritas, that kind of thing," said Angel, Cordelia nodded in agreement and looked across to Wesley.

"I'm going too. We can't have Angel catching alight while he's driving," he laughed but it was too forced and Cordelia slapped him lightly across his arm.

"Fine, you can all go. I'm sure the big strong men will be able to save the day; I'll just sit around and answer the phone. If it ever rings!" said Cordelia.

"We won't be long," said Angel and walked out of the room, disappearing through the sewer access door with Wesley following. Cordelia sat back and sighed loudly, praying that things would get back to normal soon.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The bar was relatively empty when Angel and Wesley walked in; Wesley figured that mid-afternoon was too early for demons to want a drink while Angel was convinced something was wrong with this picture. Wesley stood in the doorway as Angel stalked the room; he watched as Angel walked up to the barkeep and muttered something. The barkeep looked petrified as he emphatically shook his head; Angel nodded and walked back across to Wesley. He didn't say a word, just brushed past him and back out of the bar. Wesley swallowed hard and followed him; Angel clearly wasn't in the mood for being messed about today.

Angel's silence continued until they reached another demon bar in a long abandoned corner of L.A.'s seedy underworld. Wesley followed Angel in and looked on in amazement as Angel walked straight up to a large blue demon and tapped him hard on the shoulder. Wesley wasn't close enough to hear what was said before Angel punched the demon hard in the jaw; the demon didn't fall but squared up to the vampire. Wesley stepped forward to stop Angel but it was too late, Angel dived on top of the huge beast and started punching and kicking him, Angel stood up and drew out his battle axe, burying it in the demon's head. He wiped a sleeve across his mouth, turning to Wesley and shrugging, he kicked the dead demon aside and stalked out of the bar leaving Wesley to stand there in shock. What the hell had just happened?

"Angel, what happened in there? What did that thing say to you?" asked Wesley, concernedly as he turned the key in the ignition.

"Nothing," he growled. "Guy didn't know anything, can we just go? I want to get back to hotel, make sure Fred hasn't found Cordy yet,"

Wesley nodded and started to drive in the direction of the hotel, secretly hoping that Cordelia would calm Angel down. True, he hadn't really said much about their mission but his silence was a clear indicator of how much he was feeling.

Cordelia was sorting through the filing cabinets in reception when Angel and Wesley burst through the side door. Angel stalked silently across the room and slammed his bloody axe down on the counter before turning to walk upstairs. Wesley was looking ready to kill someone and it seemed as though his anger was focused on Angel.

"What's going on, guys?" asked Cordelia.

"Ask Angel. He thinks he can deal with Fred's death by killing anything that won't help us or gets in the way," shouted Wesley. Angel turned and walked back into the centre of the foyer to face Wesley.

"Look, Wes. They didn't know anything and they were looking for a fight, I gave them one. You're just sore because you didn't have a chance to question them, don't go crying to Cordelia about me just because _I_ know how to hold my own," he hissed through gritted teeth before turning on his heel and disappearing swiftly up the staircase.

"What the hell happened?" asked Cordelia, still looking at the staircase wishing that Angel hadn't disappeared again. Who knew how long it would take him to come back down this time?

"I told you. The demons didn't know anything so he just killed them; it was like he was possessed. I've never seen him like that before, well, not with a soul anyway,"

"You don't think I was right? About Fred tipping him over the edge?"

"I'm sure he has gone over the edge in some way but he's still got a soul, Cordelia. Nothing could have taken that away from him, there was nothing happy about the situation,"

"I know that but he wasn't like this when Buffy died. He was all quiet and reflective, he never shouted at anyone. I'm really worried, Wes,"

"Well, don't be. Angel still has a soul, there's nothing to worry about," scolded Wesley. Cordelia frowned, Wesley could deny it all he liked but there was no way Cordelia was stopping her worrying just yet. Not while Angel was still in such a divided frame of mind.

"I'm going to see him," she said firmly, placing her files down hard on the desk and starting to walk up the stairs.

"Just be careful, he's clearly upset," said Wesley, pouring out a mug of strong black coffee.

Cordelia heeded Wesley's words but still knocked loudly on Angel's bedroom door, a groan from inside was all the invitation she needed, she pushed open the door and stepped inside letting it slam behind her. She walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Angel to emerge from the en-suite bathroom.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened today?" she called. Angel came out of the bathroom in his trademark black trousers and white vest, Cordelia had seen him dressed like that a thousand times but recently it was just making her realise how powerfully built he was. A fresh wound was bright on his left shoulder but he shrugged on a black shirt to hide it from her.

"Nothing to tell. Nobody's heard anything, nobody's seen anything. Lorne didn't even know she'd turned," he mumbled, looking around his room for nothing in particular. Cordelia knew he was just avoiding sitting still.

"Angel, please talk to me. You're really freaking me out, Wes is obviously upset and I don't know what's going on,"

"I'm fine, Cordelia. I just want to find out where Fred is and deal with it. The faster this is all over then the happier I'll be," he said, sitting down beside Cordelia. She sighed heavily and placed her hand upon his knee, squeezing gently. He allowed her to place her head on his shoulder, she was glad to have the support system around her even if he was a cursed vampire and not a gorgeous, smart multi-millionaire as she'd always imagined.

"Do you think we're being too hard on Gunn?" she murmured. Angel reached down and took hold of her hand; she lifted her head and looked up at him.

"I think when we've all calmed down, we'll be able to let Gunn back into our lives," he smiled. Cordelia nodded but couldn't keep herself from gazing up into those deep brown eyes, she knew she was losing herself but what good was logic in the face of those cheekbones? Angel swallowed and leaned down, kissing her gently on the lips. Cordelia returned the kiss for a moment before leaping up from the bed, she turned to look at him, pointing her finger but the words wouldn't come. "I'm so sorry,"

"No, we were upset," she babbled. "It's just a reaction to the grief, people do stupid things, even you said that. Look, I've gotta go home, I'll see you tomorrow,"

Cordelia practically ran from the room and slammed the door behind her. Inside, Angel placed his head in his hands and sighed loudly, things were getting more complicated every day.

"Anything?" asked Wesley as Cordelia ran down the staircase and stopped in reception to catch her breath.

"What do you mean? Oh right, no he's fine. He's just a little upset; we all are so I guess stuff is kind of forgivable, right? Anyway, I've decided to go home a little early, I'm sure Dennis is worried about me," she babbled, grabbing her bag and playing with the strap.

"Are you okay? Did something happen up there?" asked Wesley.

"No," said Cordelia sharply. "Why would you say that?"

"You just seem a little…"

"No, I'm not a little anything, I'm fine," she sighed. Wesley was about to nod in agreement when Cordelia fell to the floor with a little yelp of pain. Wesley rushed around the desk to cradle her head in his lap; her hands were at her temples in a vain attempt to stem the flow of pain.

Once again, Cordelia was subjected to flashes of incomplete images; a dark alleyway, two hooded figures walking quickly, one starting to run away while the other attempted to stop them. She cried out as her mind flashed red and black, she frowned and winced as Wesley tried to stop her convulsing with distress. The figures were standing in a courtyard now; they looked like tramps or vagrants and kept looking over their shoulders. Cordelia heaved in a shocked breath as she saw who they were running from; two figures appeared from the darkness of the alley behind them. Both wearing their vampire faces but both still familiar; Angel and Fred, they darted towards the tramps with their vampire speed and Cordelia's eyes snapped open. Wesley looked down at her, both concerned and questioning but Cordelia couldn't find the words. She threw her arms around Wesley's neck and started to sob. They were in trouble, they were in deep trouble.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Cordelia lay on her sofa and sniffed back more tears; Wesley was sitting beside her while Dennis covered her with a blanket. Wesley felt useless but all he could do was wait until Cordelia had recovered from her obviously painful vision. He had rushed her home as soon as she had recovered on the floor of the Hyperion; she had only just stopped crying.

"How are you now?" he asked, leaning forward and touching her hand.

"Better, thanks for bringing me home," she sighed, rubbing at her nose with a damp tissue. Wesley didn't want to push her but he needed answers.

"Are you ready to talk about it?"

"I guess, I was just a bit shocked. I saw Fred with Angel, they were together in this dark alley and they attacked these two tramps. I'd never seen Angel like that before, he looked possessed, he looked… evil,"

Wesley sat back with the news before answering, if what Cordelia had seen was true then it would appear that Angelus would return to join his new vampire child. The strong pull of a sire and his child could certainly help tip Angel over the edge into his darkness but surely not with a soul.

"Are you sure Angel was attacking those men with Fred, maybe he was there hunting her down,"

"I don't think so, Wes. God, I feel so stupid,"

"Why?" frowned Wesley. Cordelia sat up and looked at him, she had to tell him, she had to tell someone.

"When I went up to talk to him, Angel kissed me," she murmured. Wesley's face fell with shock. "It was only for a second but I kissed him back. Do you think the Powers sent me the vision to warn me about Angel? Y'know, to tell me to stop or something?"

"I don't know, Cordelia. It was very irresponsible; you know you and Angel could never have a real relationship,"

"It was a kiss Wesley. It wasn't the start of some love affair, I cut it off and that was it. But Evil Angel would never have kissed me; he'd have just eaten me, right? I'm sure it was just a warning," she sighed.

"I need to get back to the hotel and research the curse. If you really did see Angelus with Fred then we need to find out how to stop him coming forward," said Wesley, he stood up authoritatively and walked out of the house. A mug of hot sweet tea floated across the room and set itself down on the coffee table next to the sofa.

"Thanks Dennis," sniffed Cordelia and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

Wesley parked the car outside the Hyperion and looked up at the light in Angel's bedroom window. The thought of Angelus returning was not something he wanted to entertain; he switched off the engine and locked the car door. As he entered the courtyard at the back of the hotel, a strong arm grabbed him and threw him through the plate glass of the doors. Wesley landed on his arm and prayed that the crack he had heard was not a bone; he turned himself over with a lot of exertion and saw Fred towering above him. She was smiling strangely as she looked around the reception area, Wesley wondered if Angel would come down to investigate the noise but realised that he may have already left the building to look for Fred.

"Fred, you don't want to hurt me," gasped Wesley, trying to sit up. Fred placed her foot on his chest and kicked him back down with such force that he slid across the floor and hit the circular sofa in the centre of the room.

"You know what's weird?" she asked, her Southern accent lilting playfully. "I never knew being a vampire would be so much fun. Y'know, Angel always plays it like its some big burden but it's not. I've got this strength and all; it's been very entertaining,"

"We've been looking for you," coughed Wesley through a mouthful of blood. She had kicked him harder than he'd realised, he wouldn't be surprised if a few ribs were broken.

"I know," she stated matter-of-factly. "I've been watching you, well, watching Angel anyway. He's not really the kind of father I could hope for but I suppose he'll have to do,"

"What do you want, Fred?" he said. Fred grinned and practically skipped over to the sofa, she lay down on it with her head hanging over the edge next to Wesley's. She was close enough to kiss him.

"Remind you of anything?" she laughed, closing her eyes and laying still. "I cannot believe that Charles made him do it. He must have been crazy but hey, I don't mind. Okay, you stay here for a minute while I go check if Daddy's home!"

Wesley couldn't have moved if he wanted to, every breath was a stabbing pain to his lungs. Fred ran up the staircase, laughing and Wesley hoped that Angel was waiting for her, stake in hand. Wesley knew that he would never have the courage to do it, he just trusted Angel had. He lay still for what seemed like an eternity, breathing was getting easier and he could definitely say that his ribs were intact. He heard footsteps on the staircase behind him but didn't turn to face her. Fred jumped down next to him, sitting close and picking at her jeans, she looked up at him.

"Well, it would seem that Daddy has sneaked out. Could you do me a favour? Could you tell him that I popped round for a chat, there really is something we need to discuss," she sighed. "Maybe I should just tell him myself, I'm feeling quite peckish. I haven't eaten anything all day,"

Fred's pale and beautiful face suddenly switched to vamp mode and Wesley felt a stab of pain in his heart. The girl he had once loved was nothing more than a monster now, a monster that was about to murder him for nothing more than a bout of bloodlust. She smiled, baring her fangs and leaned over him, Wesley winced in anticipation but it was then that an arrow came hurtling across the room and hit Fred in the back. She growled and pushed Wesley aside, standing up and spinning around to face her assailant. She grabbed the arrow and pulled it out of her back, throwing it to the floor. Standing in the doorway, holding a crossbow was Gunn. Fred growled again and flew across the room at him, knocking the crossbow from his hands and punching him out into the courtyard. Wesley struggled to stand but Gunn rushed in and helped him to his feet.

"She took off," he explained, Wesley frowned. He had a million questions to ask but there was nobody in the world to answer them for him. He allowed himself to lean on Gunn as he walked him out to the car and drove him to the hospital.

Fred walked up the crowded L.A. streets; she was annoyed that Gunn has interrupted her and Wesley. It was obviously jealousy, she knew they had both loved her at one time. She headed for Caritas; she needed another drink and preferably one with a little alcohol this time. She wiped her mouth, the teenager she had just drained had been nothing special but it had satisfied her thirst for now. She walked down the staircase and through the weapons detector, perching herself on a barstool and ordering a double whisky. She sat watching the various demons sing and didn't even notice The Host walking across the room to meet her.

"Well hello there. How can I help you this evening, little Miss Brand New?"

"Leave me alone. I don't want anything from you; I just came in for a drink,"

"Mmmm, I don't think that's true. Don't need you to sing to know you're looking for something," he smiled. Fred looked up at him, her eyes were twinkling and The Host couldn't help thinking that she looked even more stunning now she was a vamp. She flicked her hair back over her shoulder and stared at him, waiting for him to carry on. "I think you'll find what you're looking for tonight,"

"Really? How do you know?" she said excitedly, he was glad that she hadn't lost that child-like wonder at the world even though she now had eternity to see it.

"Because Mr Hunk-a-licious is walking down those steps right now," said The Host, looking over at the weapons detector. Angel was walking through it as Fred looked over at him, a beam crept over her face and she downed her whisky and stood up. He walked over to her and The Host, keeping his eyes on Fred.

"Fred," he said, his voice low and full of menace. The Host flashed a warning glare at him, Caritas was a safe haven – no violence allowed.

"Well, look at you, all paternal and all. You been looking for me?" she cooed, Angel nodded and Fred smiled again. She threw her arms around Angel's neck and The Host looked on as Angel hugged her back.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Cordelia rushed into the hospital reception and looked frantically around for any sign of Gunn. She had got his message shortly after she'd got out of the bath and had rushed over as quickly as possible. She walked over to the reception desk and asked for any news on Wesley, she was directed to an open door half way up the corridor and she couldn't help but run a little. As she walked through the doorway, Wesley was sitting up in bed with his fractured arm in a sling and his bruised ribs heavily bandaged, Gunn sat beside his bed in silence.

"What happened?" she sighed as she walked over to the side of the bed.

"Well, Fred broke my arm when she threw me through the hotel window," started Wesley ignoring the look of horror on Cordelia's face. "She kicked me across the room which is when I bruised my ribs and I probably would've died if Gunn hadn't shot at her,"

"What was she doing there?" asked Cordelia abruptly, ignoring the gravity of the situation for the time being.

"She was looking for Angel, she didn't say why. She kept calling him her father and talking about him like she needed to see him urgently,"

"Thank God you were there, Gunn," she sighed, placing a comforting hand on Gunn's shoulder. He nodded in acknowledgement but remained silent; Cordelia was used to his stoicism in moments like this. "What now?"

"I don't know. Angel was out when I got back so he's obviously looking for her, I guess it depends on who finds who first," said Wesley. Cordelia nodded, she was pleased that despite his injuries, Wesley was looking healthy and relatively composed.

"But where can he be? I mean, he couldn't have been out for long, it was only just dusk when you left me at the house," babbled Cordelia. Wesley nodded but had no answers for her; he didn't know where Angel was. All he could do was hope that Fred hadn't found him and played on his weaknesses to take him back to the darker side of his nature.

"Well, this little family reunion just warms my heart. How 'bout a drink for my two favourite vamps?" smiled The Host, grabbing two glasses from behind the bar. Angel nodded and sat down next to Fred, she couldn't stop grinning to herself, finding Angel had been far too easy.

"So, why have you been looking for me?" asked Angel, accepting a glass of whisky from The Host and pushing Fred's glass towards her.

"I would've thought that was obvious. I want us to be together, I mean, if you stay with that pathetic lot at the hotel then who's gonna teach me all the vamp stuff?"

"Looks as though you're doing okay on your own,"

"Yeah, but you know it's much more fun when you got someone to play with," she laughed; Angel smiled and nodded in agreement. He remembered how much fun and laughter he had shared with Darla hundreds of years before. "So I was just thinkin' that me and you should get together and start wreaking havoc like the old days, you know how much you enjoyed all those bad things you did,"

"What makes you think that I would go back to that? I still have a soul, Fred, it's not like I could just ignore the pain and guilt of killing innocent people,"

"Innocent? Have you met half the miscreants that this city has to offer? Evil-doers taste so much better and you know it,"

"Don't you feel anything at all?" asked Angel, downing his glass and motioning to Fred to drink hers. Fred picked it up and downed it, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and smiling up at her father.

"Is this because I can't feel guilty?" frowned Fred. "I feel better things like excitement and pleasure, isn't that better than fear and remorse?"

Angel remained silent but kept his eyes on Fred, her hand went to her throat and she started to cough. He glanced at The Host who winked at him and handed him a glass of water, Angel pushed it towards Fred.

"Are you kidding me?" coughed Fred. "Have you not got no blood back there?"

The Host opened the fridge and threw a plastic blood bag to Fred; she tore into it with her teeth and emptied it down her throat. She stopped coughing and sighed loudly, still rubbing at her throat.

"Damn, that was a triple shot," she laughed. "So, what was I saying?" Fred tried to smile but a frown crept over her face and she sat in silence, her hand over her heart and a frown etched into her forehead. "God, Angel, do you remember that girl? That little girl that you killed in Spain, Darla had brought her to you but you just left her in that room for hours before you went to her. She thought you were going to let her go but you just drained her, you didn't even play first, you were so angry about… about something that you just went for the kill,"

"How can you know that happened?" asked Angel, his hand over his own heart. "I never told you anything about my past, how do you know?" Angel knew that he had started to shout but Fred just looked up at him, there were tears in her confused eyes. She jumped to her feet and ran from the bar, knocking over stools and drinks as she went.

"I guess that worked," smiled The Host. Angel nodded and breathed hard, he felt as if he had been winded. It always made him smile that despite not needing to draw breath, he could still feel breathless.

"Are you sure that there are no after-effects?" he sighed loudly.

"I'm sure; it's a guaranteed gift, baby-cakes. Now, why don't you have another drink and chill for a while, you're gonna need it," smiled The Host, handing Angel another plastic blood bag.

Cordelia helped Wesley into the car and slammed the door shut. Gunn was standing on the pavement as Cordelia walked around to the driver's side. She looked up at him and asked him if he wanted a ride, he just shook his head and started to walk away. Cordelia watched him, smiling sadly, maybe Angel was right, they would forgive him eventually but he may never forgive himself.

"Are we ready to get back?" asked Cordelia as she clipped her seatbelt in.

"I suppose so. I just hope that Angel is back at the hotel by now, I wouldn't like to face Fred again without him there," sighed Wesley. Cordelia nodded and turned the ignition key, the car grumbled to life and they sped away from the hospital towards the hotel.

Cordelia couldn't help but think of Angel as they drove towards the Hyperion, she wondered if he had been thinking about the kiss they shared as much as she had and she prayed that her vision of Fred and Angel had been a mere warning and not a definite future event. Seeing Evil Angel in Sunnydale had been bad enough but she didn't think she could handle the real thing in Los Angeles, not without Buffy and Giles and the whole team as back-up.

She screeched into the driveway at the back of the hotel and helped Wesley to open the passenger door so he could escape her horrific driving. They walked up the path together and the lights in the hotel announced that Angel was home, Cordelia quickened her pace slightly; she was anxious to see him. She needed to be assured that he was still Angel, still her Angel. She walked through the smashed glass of the French windows and stopped, stunned. Wesley walked in behind her and stopped, looking at the same thing Cordelia was.

Sitting on the circular sofa, curled into a ball and sobbing as if they could never stop was Fred.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Wesley and Cordelia were too stunned to move or say anything; they both stood in the centre of the room watching Fred cry. Eventually, Wesley made a move and started to walk towards her, Cordelia wanted to call out and tell him to stop but she couldn't find her voice. Wesley finally made it to the sofa and he sat down next to Fred, he placed a hand softly on her shoulder and she sat up almost instantly. She looked at him and gently brushed her fingers over his plastered arm before sniffing and allowing a fresh batch of tears to fall down her cheeks, she leaned her head slightly into his good shoulder and began to cry again. He let her sit there; getting what comfort she could from the man she had beaten hours before.

"What's going on?" asked Cordelia, all tact and grace had left her at the sight of Wesley comforting a killer. Fred stopped crying and sat up, looking straight ahead at Cordelia and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I just wanted to tell Wesley that I'm sorry," she sniffed, looking back at Wesley and smiling weakly. He frowned at her, if she was apologising then she was feeling guilt and remorse for hurting him, it was guilt or it was a clever trick.

"You're a vampire, Fred. You don't apologise, you just hurt and kill and you don't care," said Cordelia, walking closer to Fred and Wesley. Fred looked away; she couldn't bear to see the anger in Cordelia's eyes.

"I know that but I just felt so bad. I mean, I really hurt you and I didn't want you to think that it was anything personal. I just wasn't feeling like myself,"

"Fred, you do understand why we're a little surprised? You shouldn't be feeling any guilt whatsoever, how is that possible?"

"Well, it has something to do with Angel and The Host but I'm not really sure what happened. One minute I was having a drink and having fun and the next, I was remembering all Angel's memories and I got really freaked out and then I felt bad so I ran,"

"You experienced Angel's memories?" asked Wesley, obviously intrigued by this transformation in Fred.

"Yeah, all of them. It was horrible and I didn't know where to go so I've just been waiting here for him to come back and help me,"

"Waiting for Angel to help you? Have you done something to him? Is he Angelus again?" asked Cordelia, pointing an accusing finger in Fred's face.

"No, he's fine. I left him at Caritas, he was fine. I would never hurt him, Cordelia. I just wanted him to help me out a bit,"

"We need to find Angel and find out what happened at Caritas," announced Wesley. Cordelia sighed and nodded, it was going to be another long night without any sleep. She should start charging Angel for the loss of her healthy, youthful looks if the bags under her eyes kept growing.

"No need," said Angel as he stalked into the room from the doorway, his black coat flowing out behind him as he strode across to where the three of them were standing. Fred was looking up at him in awe but Wesley just studied his face, checking for any signs of Angelus.

"Angel, are you evil again?" asked Cordelia, Angel smiled at her and shook his head. "I knew that, I just had to check,"

"I went to The Host shortly after Fred had turned, I knew that if we got to her in time then there may have been a way for us to help her," explained Angel.

"Help her in what way?" asked Wesley, his confusion had quickly become a thirst for knowledge and he was desperate to know what had happened to Fred.

"The Host knew of a mystic who was able to exchange the essences of two people and with a little doctoring, he was able to produce a spell that would give Fred a soul,"

"So Fred has her soul back? She's just like you?" asked Cordelia, looking down at Fred's tear-stained face. She was listening just as intently as Wesley was.

"Not quite, the mystic made my soul corporeal and gave half of it to Fred. That was how she had all of my memories, when she ran away in tears I knew it had worked but I had to stay in Caritas to get used to having half a soul,"

"What does that mean? Are you only half as good as you were now? I mean, are you like half good-half bad?" asked Cordelia.

"No, Lorne seems to think that I may get a little carried away when I'm fighting or that I might lose my temper a lot  faster than I used to but other than that I'm still me. The same goes for Fred, she's exactly the same as she was only she's a vampire now,"

"But Cordelia had a vision. You and Fred were together, chasing down some tramps or something," argued Wesley, pointing at Cordelia.

"That's right, we thought it meant that you were going to join Fred and become all evil again,"

"I don't know what it was. The only way Fred and I would be fighting together is if they were demons or something. Fred's back on the team, if she wants to be," said Angel, looking down at Fred. Fred stood up and swallowed hard; she looked around everyone in the room and nodded.

"Maybe I can still be useful round here, even if I am a vampire" whispered Fred, hanging her head with timidity.

"This is absolutely unprecedented. It's amazing, it's absolutely unthinkable. Would it be possible to talk to this mystic? I would love to know how he created the spell…" started Wesley.

"Tomorrow, Wes. I need to get to bed," sighed Angel, he laid his hand gently on Fred's shoulder and smiled before walking up the staircase to his bedroom.

"Oh Wesley, I am so sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry for everything; I'm glad that Angel got me back so quickly. I can't even imagine how I would feel if I had to deal with my guilt as well as his," sighed Fred.

"Don't worry. It's all over now, maybe we should call Gunn and let him know," said Wesley. Cordelia nodded in agreement and left Fred and Wesley to make the call; she turned her back to them and started up the stairs after Angel.

His door was closed when she reached it and she swallowed hard before knocking hard. Angel opened the door, he was still wearing his trousers but his black shirt was hanging open, he stood there for a moment before moving aside to let her in. Cordelia walked across to the bed and sat down, her mind racing back to the day before when Angel had kissed her in this exact spot.

"I was just wondering, if Fred has half of your soul, does that mean that she has the curse as well. I mean, half of your curse or something?"

"Fred is under the curse as well as me now. Perfect happiness and all that, you should know the drill by now," sighed Angel as he removed his shirt and threw it across the room.

"Just checking, I really should go," said Cordelia, her eyes following the shirt to the floor and trying not to rise back up the Angel's half-naked body. She stood up and moved towards the door but Angel put his arm out to block her opening it.

"Lorne told me that I might not be able to fight my emotions as well as I used to," said Angel.

"That's nice but I really should go," laughed Cordelia desperately, she couldn't bear the thought of staying with Angel any longer. She wasn't stupid; she knew that something was going to happen.

"I just thought you should be aware of it, just in case something happens," smiled Angel, moving in closer to Cordelia. She turned around to face him, her eyes in line with his neck; she wanted to lean into his arms so badly. "Just in case I can't stop myself doing something then I wanted to let you know that I'm apologising in advance for everything,"

"Apologising?" repeated Cordelia, Angel nodded and moved closer still smelling her hair. "Okay, apology accepted,"

Cordelia looked up into Angel's eyes and smiled as he leaned down and kissed her softly. Her thoughts raced back to her conversation with Wesley; it wasn't the start of a love affair, it was just a kiss. She stood in the doorway with her arms wrapped around Angel's neck and her heart in the air and somehow, she didn't care if it was a kiss or the start of something else. All of her worries were gone, Fred was back on the team and soon Gunn would be back as well. As Angel moved against her and kissed her harder, more urgently, nothing seemed to matter. Things were starting to go right and if this was one more step in that direction then she was happy to keep on going.

THE END 


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